The UFC 331 results from Los Angeles gave the flyweight division a clear answer and the heavyweight division a shock. Joshua Van beat Alexandre Pantoja on all three cards to keep the belt, Arman Tsarukyan put Mauricio Ruffy away with elbows, and Sean Sharaf knocked Gable Steveson out in twelve seconds. Seven of the twelve fights ended early.
Key takeaways
- Joshua Van retained the flyweight title by unanimous decision over Alexandre Pantoja, 49-46, 48-47 and 50-45, in a rematch of the 26-second first fight.
- Sean Sharaf knocked out Gable Steveson with a left hand at 12 seconds of round one, and Arman Tsarukyan stopped Mauricio Ruffy with elbows at 4:56 of the first.
- Marlon Vera ended the first four-fight losing run of his career, stopping Charles Jourdain in the third, while Tai Tuivasa lost a split decision to Robelis Despaigne.
UFC 331 results: the title fight answered the question
Five rounds instead of twenty-six seconds
The first meeting lasted 26 seconds and left everybody arguing about what it proved. The rematch went the distance and left nothing to argue about: Van took it 49-46, 48-47 and 50-45, a spread that says two judges saw it clearly and one saw a fight. Pantoja (30-6 going in) got his five rounds, and lost them.
The rest of the main card
Tsarukyan (23-3) finished Ruffy (14-2) with elbows in the clinch at 4:56 of the first round, a result that makes his case for the next lightweight title fight harder to ignore. Patricio Pitbull (37-9) stopped Dooho Choi (17-4-1) with strikes at 3:28 of the first. Alonzo Menifield edged Iwo Baraniewski on a split decision, 28-29, 29-28, 29-28, reportedly fighting with a broken thumb.
Twelve seconds, and the upset of the night
Sharaf over Steveson
Gable Steveson (4-0 going in) had been moved up to the main card the day before, on a night where his return was one of the selling points. Sean Sharaf (4-2) landed a left hand and ended it at twelve seconds. It is the kind of result that rewrites a plan rather than a ranking, and the promotion added a bonus on top of the scheduled ones for it.
What it costs
Steveson arrived unbeaten, built quickly, and openly discussed as a future title challenger, with his training partner Jon Jones cageside. Twelve seconds later none of that is gone, but all of it is postponed. Nothing about a heavyweight prospect survives contact with a knockout that fast without a rebuild.
Doubt me now.
On the prelims, a streak finally broke
Vera stops Jourdain
Marlon Vera (23-12-1) came in on four straight defeats, the worst run of his career, having left longtime head coach Jason Parillo to break it. He stopped Charles Jourdain (18-8-1) at 2:02 of the third round. Jourdain arrived on three straight wins at bantamweight and leaves without the fourth.
The rest of the undercard
Robelis Despaigne beat Tai Tuivasa on a split decision, 29-28 twice against 28-29, extending the worst stretch of Tuivasa’s career. Joanderson Brito knocked out Giga Chikadze at 1:57 of the first. Casey O’Neill submitted Eduarda Moura with an armbar at 3:22 of the first. Edmen Shahbazyan took a unanimous decision over Brunno Ferreira, Michael Aswell Jr. edged Joo Sang Yoo on a split, and Ryan Gandra stopped Ozzy Diaz at 2:04 of the first.
Bonuses
Tsarukyan, O’Neill and Sharaf took performance awards, and Van against Pantoja took fight of the night.
Follow the divisions move with real numbers
Records, finishes, activity and our own ratings for every fighter on this card are updated in the FightHub app. Download it to see how Saturday reshuffles flyweight and lightweight.
- Tsarukyan vs Ruffy Booked for UFC 331 After Late Switch
- Arman Tsarukyan vs Mauricio Ruffy: a title shot, and the one way to beat the knockout artist
- Noche UFC results: Moreno snaps his skid, McMillen survives a war and Blaydes outpoints Cortes-Acosta
- UFC 331 weigh-in results: all 24 fighters on the scale, and Steveson moves up to the main card
